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What exaclty does "refurbished" mean?

petrucci666

petrucci666

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 30, 2009
714
14
Los Angeles, CA
My friend and I were talking about refurbished Macs and we couldn't agree on what "refurbished" exactly meant. Are they laptops that were faulty in the beginning and then Apple fixed them or what?

Sorry for the stupid question but I am looking into buying a refurbished Mac...


Thanks!
 
They could be that, or machines that were bought, opened up, and then returned (even if nothing else was touched and the machines worked flawlessly).

It's, in essence, any returned machine that cannot be resold as brand new.
 
It could mean a Mac that was sold, returned as defective, repaired and refreshed with a new box case etc and re sold.

It could mean a mac that was sold and returned by the buyer.

It could mean a mac that has been replaced by a new model, pulled from the shelves and is being cleared out.

It could be used as a way for Apple to dump products that arnt selling at retail at a lower price point without having to abandon that higher price point totally.


Apple is not very clear about which refurbs fit which situation. But they have and still do sell refurbs at a discount for all these reasons.
 
There are several reasons that a system becomes "Refurbished"...

1) Computer was purchased, box was opened, and then returned - Can't sell as new.
2) Computer had problems and was replaced by Apple Care instead of being fixed.
3) Computer was a floor model.

All of these systems then go back for inspections, and have hardware replaced as required, then they go through the regular testing processes of new systems. So in essence they are new machines, but since someone paid for them at some point, they cannot be sold as new.

TEG
 
Ricanlegend said:
Its when people return the laptop cause it didnt work and apple fixes the problem and sell them cheaper cause is now used
Click to expand...

They need not be non-functional. Let's say I buy a MB, open the box, look at it and decide I'd rather have an aluminum enclosure. Even though I didn't even turn on the system, it would be considered refurbished as it has been sold and opened by a consumer.
 
FWIW I've bought multiple refurbished products from Apple and in every case they were virtually indistinguishable from new. The most recent was a 24" iMac a few months ago. If it weren't in a plain-white box instead of the fancy retail box, you'd never know the difference.

I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy another.
 
TEG said:
There are several reasons that a system becomes "Refurbished"...

1) Computer was purchased, box was opened, and then returned - Can't sell as new.
2) Computer had problems and was replaced by Apple Care instead of being fixed.
3) Computer was a floor model.

All of these systems then go back for inspections, and have hardware replaced as required, then they go through the regular testing processes of new systems. So in essence they are new machines, but since someone paid for them at some point, they cannot be sold as new.

TEG
Click to expand...

1+ with TEG's info.

Speaking from experience, there's absolutely nothing wrong with buy a refurb from Apple, as every machine comes with the standard twelve months warranty plus your given the same opportunity to upgrade to the full three-years via AppleCare (within the first twelve months of ownership) if desired.

Technically speaking there's no downside to buy a refurb (except there's no customising)... just be aware a refurb machine won't come in the standard retail box. Instead it'll come in a generic brownbox with all it's standard accessories.. Don't forget you have a 14day allowance for returning your system, should you change your mind but with the saving, I think you'll be over the moon!!:):)
 
Looking back, I would've bought a refurbished unit. You get a full year's warranty and can add another 2 with Applecare.

But the bottom line is you'll never know why it needed to be refurbished.
 
Refurbished can also mean a few scrapes and scratches to totally trashed gear panel beated back to shape and plain boxed [sarcasm off]

I've heard people with refurb mac Pros who also got 'extras' like faster/larger drives, more power graphics cards to even raid controller cards with enterprise drives!
 
I am using the first new Mac that I've had in 5 years. The only reason I went with it is that there was a ridiculous rebate from MicroCenter on the 2.0Ghz. white Nvidia MacBooks, leaving the price at $799. It was $50 less than a refurb MacBook, so it was an easy choice. Otherwise, I have used nothing but refurb Macs from MBPs to iMacs to Mac Minis, even Time Capsules, iPods, and peripherals and have never received anything that didn't look and behave as if absolutely new. I use Macs extensively at work and so I get to compare the new and refurb stuff and there's never been a difference. 9/10 times it's the best deal on a mac you can find. And mac treats it just like a new product as far as service and support goes - you pretty much can't lose.
 
sparkie7 said:
I've heard people with refurb mac Pros who also got 'extras' like faster/larger drives, more power graphics cards to even raid controller cards with enterprise drives!
Click to expand...

Yeah that's me! :D Mine came with 4 GB's of ram even though shipping info said it had 2GB and the price was the same as one's advertised recently with 2 GB's.
 
I think most of the time, the refurbs are models that were returned just because the person didn't like what they were buying.
 
lavinci said:
I think most of the time, the refurbs are models that were returned just because the person didn't like what they were buying.
Click to expand...

I've only had one Apple Refurb experiece, and that was an iPod video sent to my house to be shipped to my sister overseas. She asked me to load it up with some of my new music, and it was brand new looking.

Is it possible that Apple polishes or replaces the casings on the iPods or computers they refurb? Or have other people gotten scratched/dented ones?
 
My mbp is a refurb. When it came it was perfect. I Only had one problem with it. Apple fixed it FAST. Other than that, it was a brand new computer.

It runs just as good now as it did the day I received it! :apple:
 
hamish5178 said:
I've only had one Apple Refurb experiece, and that was an iPod video sent to my house to be shipped to my sister overseas. She asked me to load it up with some of my new music, and it was brand new looking.

Is it possible that Apple polishes or replaces the casings on the iPods or computers they refurb? Or have other people gotten scratched/dented ones?
Click to expand...

With the 3rd generation Nano they advertised that the rear case is new/replaced in the refurbished units, as not to sell dented/scratched units.
 
I think they replace anything that won't pass inspection as being in "new" condition. One thing nobody mentioned is that they also get new serial numbers which start with RM or something similar, which would indicate they were reconditioned product by Apple. So, effectively they are "hand-rebuilt" in Cupertino, given a new manufacture date, serial number and complete warranty. No effective difference from a factory model, other than it has been individually inspected, and made right - as compared to a small percentage that are probably inspected off the assembly line in China...

Gimme a refurb any day!
 
2 refurbs recently. My MBP ($1000 off original MSRP) is brand new. My Mini looks a bit more gently used. Either way they're a good deal.

I recommended my mother to get one in the UK and hers was perfect also.
 
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